Lot 29C
Scotland, 17th century CE. This is a targe, a round shield made of leather, bronze, and wood. It is concave, with enarmes (leather gripping straps) attached to its back and prominent bronze decorations over leather on its front. The inside of the targe is formed from two thin layers of flat wooden boards with the grain of each layer at right angles to each other to provide strength; these were fixed together with small wooden pegs. The leather may be cow skin or deer skin. The face of the targe is often decorated, as this one, with a center boss surrounded by subsidiary bosses. From the early 17th century until the decisive Battle of Culloden in 1746, the targe was the Scottish Highlander's main form of defense in battle, and after the defeat of the Jacobites, the targe was among many of the martial objects banned for the Highlanders. The survival of an item like this one probably means that it belonged to someone important whose targe was worth saving. Size: 18.75" W (47.6 cm).
probably used by Scottish Highlanders who normally quarreled with their British rulers. Lowland Scotsman did not normally fight with the British, as they were known to be more passive than their higher-altitude counterparts. Unlike British families, Scottish clansmen put whatever patterning or accoutrements they liked on their weaponry and did not follow any family-oriented patterning.
Provenance: Ex-private E. Duncan collection acquired more than 30 years ago in Scotland from Ken Drake, now deceased.
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#113441
- Condition: Expected wear, including tears to the leather, but bronze design is very clear and the piece is intact.
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